Five guilty of affray after warring groups living on the same Walsall street fight

On the evening of June 21, 2014, the groups living on Jessel Road, Pleck, scrapped in the street while neighbours watched on.

The fight is believed to have started when members of one group 'goaded' Jamil Lal, 32, due to him being given a community order the day before for a battery charge on a member of the other group.

Lal pleaded guilty to affray alongside brother Kaish Lal, 32, Saeed Mohammed, 24 and fellow Jessel Road resident Tariq Mahmood, 37.

A boy who was aged 17 at the time of the incident was also involved.

The four men plus the 17-year-old pleaded guilty to affray at Wolverhampton Crown Court, while Saeed Mohammed also pleaded guilty to ABH after striking a member of the Lal family who tried to stop the fight with a steering lock.

Speaking in police interviews read out in court, each man said they were acting in self-defence during the brawl.

The man who was hit over the head with a steering lock was left with bruising to the brain and struggled to walk for a few days, the court heard.

Speaking on behalf of Jamil Lal, defence solicitor Richard Martin said his client should avoid jail time because his role was minimal, despite the fact he breached his community order conditions after just one day.

He said: "It is clear from the CCTV footage that Mr Lal had the least involvement out of anyone.

"He had an emotional, instinctive reaction."

Jamil Lal was given a three-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £400 costs.

The 17-year-old was given a 12-month community order and must carry out 100 hours unpaid work, as well as paying the £400 costs.

Tariq Mahmood was given a 12-month community order and must carry out 150 hours unpaid work alongside payment of the £400 costs.

Mohammed Saeed was given a four-month sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £400 costs, while Kaish Lal was given a 12-month conditional discharge and told to pay the £400 costs.